Title

Description

This map is a c.1773 map of the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Town, South Africa. Attributed to French cartographer Jacques-Nicholas Bellin, this map was issued for the Dutch edition of Provost's Histoire des Voyages. Beautifully rendered mountains and villages show the area in considerable detail. Shows the 'Village of the Hottentots,' Blue Mountain, Cow Mountain, Table Mountain, the City of Cape Town itself, Tigerbergen, and many other features. Some oceanic depths are indicated. Of interest is also the Isle of Robben, located centrally on the map. Long a place of exile and punishment, this island prison had a reputation for brutality and cruelty. Today a museum honors the site of so much suffering. The Dutch edition of this map is coveted as it was printed on heavier stock and to superior standards compared to most other editions. The actual printing of this edition differs from other editions in the addition of a Dutch title at the bottom of the map and in the addition of Dutch place names. The map was engraved by Schley.

CartographerS

Jacques-Nicolas Bellin (1703 - March 21, 1772) was one of the most important cartographers of the 18th century. With a career spanning some 50 years, Bellin is best understood as geographe de cabinet and transitional mapmaker spanning the gap between 18th and early-19th century cartographic styles. His long career as Hydrographer and Ingénieur Hydrographe at the French Dépôt des cartes et plans de la Marine resulted in hundreds of high quality nautical charts of practically everywhere in the world. A true child of the Enlightenment Era, Bellin's work focuses on function and accuracy tending in the process to be less decorative than the earlier 17th and 18th century cartographic work. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Bellin was always careful to cite his references and his scholarly corpus consists of over 1400 articles on geography prepared for Diderot's Encyclopedie. Bellin, despite his extraordinary success, may not have enjoyed his work, which is described as "long, unpleasant, and hard." In addition to numerous maps and charts published during his lifetime, many of Bellin's maps were updated (or not) and published posthumously. He was succeeded as Ingénieur Hydrographe by his student, also a prolific and influential cartographer, Rigobert Bonne.

Jacob Van der Schley (1715 - 1779) was a prominent Dutch engraver and draftsman based out of Amsterdam. Schley apprenticed under portrait engraver Bernard Picart, whose style he imitated. He is said to have completed several of Picart's portraits following his master's death. While Schley is primarily known for his work as a portraitist and illustrator, he also has a considerable cartographic corpus. He is known to have worked with Bellin, Hondt, and Provost, among others.

About Geographicus

We are specialist dealers in fine and rare antiquarian cartography and historic maps of the 15th through 19th centuries. A large portion of our constantly growing and changing inventory of authentic antique maps is available here in our online gallery for your study and enjoyment. Here at Geographicus Rare Antique Maps we are passionate collectors and students of historic maps as well as dealers. As you browse our online gallery of rare maps you will enjoy some of the highest resolution images and most thoroughly researched studies of our individual offerings available anywhere. We are pleased to share our knowledge and experience with interested individuals and institutions.